Klimt, TR Mack & 3rd-4th Grade Trees

                  3rd & 4th graders combined two amazing artist and added a little of their own touches to create these stunning art pieces.  We did an artist study on TR Mack and Gustav Klimt prior to our creations.  

 Tree of Life:
The World of the African Baobab

Summary: "This handsome book presents a year in the life of the peculiar African baobab tree. Large two-page watercolor illustrations show the habitat of this unusual tree--the dry savannah--and provide close-ups of its resident animals. The tree's enormous trunk and its gnarled, rootlike branches are graphically depicted. The text is written in easily read calligraphy, adding to the attractive format. The cycle of growth, ending with rebirth at the end and the description of the tree's symbiotic relationship with man and beast effectively presents the ecology theme. An attractive, unusual nature lesson."  -SLJ


Below are the steps we 
followed to create:
1.  We used tempera paint to paint our background paper.  They had to decide to paint theirs with either warm colors or cool colors.

2.  We used maps of the great state of ARKANSAS to create our trees.  We used the mini dry erase boards for lots of practice before we drew on the map.

TIPS:  We cut the map in 1/2 and shared with our table buddy so we didn't waste the map.  MOST IMPORTANT they need to keep their swirls simple and BIG.  It became very difficult for some of them to cut out their trees if they added lots of tiny swirls.

3.  I did a small version to model for my students how to cut out around the lines I drew.  I recommend you MODEL.  The students cut out their trees.

 
4.  They used glue to outline their trees or go over the lines they drew.  They had to decide which would look better with the tree they designed.

5.  They selected a contrasting color of glitter to add to their trees.

6.  We sprayed a clear coat of enamel to give them the shine and a slick finish.